Australia all-rounder Cameron Green might come up short on his bowling fitness as he eyes to be match-ready for the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar trophy against hosts India. Green has been training with the team in Sydney ahead of the Test match in Nagpur to regain match fitness to force his way into the playing eleven for the first Test and will be hoping to hear good news from the surgeon for his broken finger which he sustained against South Africa during the Melbourne Test last month.
“Where he’s positioned at the moment, his biggest challenge is bowling. There is a lack of loading there, and one of the key reasons around us getting into this camp early is to make sure that we’re ready to go for the rigours of what the bowling unit [is] going to encompass. Building confidence is the main thing, setting him up to succeed in that first Test match, having enough time, that will be the critical question,” Australia head coach Andrew McDonald said as quoted by ESPN.
Green would be regarded as a specialist batter, though, if his bowling does not quite measure up. Last year, he demonstrated his aptitude for catching up quickly on the subcontinent with key half-centuries in Lahore and, in Galle, where he won Player of the Match on a tricky surface.
The all-rounder, though is essential in balancing Australia’s side. The selectors will have to choose whether to stick with a two-quick, two-spinner balance, as they did against South Africa at the SCG, or to support their usual strength in pace with an additional quick, if he is unable to bowl (or play).
